Amazon CloudFront Adds HTTP/2 Support

Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a significant update to its global content delivery network (CDN), Amazon CloudFront, by adding support for the HTTP/2 protocol. This change is designed to accelerate the delivery of web content to users and enhance the efficiency of web applications.

Traditionally, loading web pages involves multiple separate connections to the server for each resource, such as images or scripts. With HTTP/2, CloudFront can now multiplex multiple requests over a single TCP connection. This significantly reduces latency, particularly for mobile devices where each new connection introduces considerable overhead.

The new feature in CloudFront also reduces the server resource needs for individual requests, potentially lowering operational costs. Combined with CloudFront's existing extensive global network of edge locations that already shorten data transmission distances, the HTTP/2 update is expected to further improve user experience.

AWS CloudFront is a global CDN that was initially developed to deliver websites, videos, and other types of content to end-users quickly. The service reduces data transmission distances and speeds up loading times by caching content at dozens of locations worldwide. The new HTTP/2 support is now available to all CloudFront users at no additional cost.